I loved reading about Ernie's Christmas in a nutshell dumpling wrapper. It's wonderfully funny, in a sort of wince-inducing, David Sedaris way.
While I am sorry that I never learned to speak Cantonese, I am relieved that we don't have to go through this sort of embarrassment in my family. While Ernie seems bummed that the Christmas turkey has been supplanted by hot pot (da bin lo in my family), I can't really sympathize with that part of his lament. We used to have hot pot, but it's a lot of work cutting up and preparing all the different ingredients (beef, chicken, scallops, squid, na choy (sp?), Chinese meatballs, etc.). Especially if you're making hot pot for 20+ people. And then you have to clean up afterward. And my grandparents don't have a dishwasher.
So now we go out to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas Eve, then go home and open presents. The food at Jade Palace is terrific, but sometimes I miss the chaos of da bin lo.
Posted by rv at January 7, 2004 09:35 AM to humor